After a second-round exit in the playoffs, where the blame can be directed in several ways, it has fans questioning whether the Minnesota Timberwolves have hit their ceiling with Rudy Gobert on the team.
Gobert was arguably the most important part of transforming the Wolves from a play-in team to a perennial Western Conference powerhouse, but he'll be 34 next season, and the Wolves are due for a lot of roster turnover.
Gobert's defense gave the Wolves a safety blanket to fall back on for the past four years. On the other side of the ball, his offense ultimately became an insurmountable mountain to climb, especially in the playoffs. However, there is a team out east that reminds me a lot of the 2022-2023 Wolves, that might be a Gobert away from being a legitimate Eastern Conference contender: the Charlotte Hornets.
There are a lot of moving pieces to this trade, but this blockbuster deal could help the Wolves find a co-star for Anthony Edwards while not giving up much outside of Gobert.
The Hornets make too much sense as a Gobert destination
The Charlotte Hornets started the season abysmally, but after the calendar year flipped, they became one of the NBA's most explosive teams. Still, they were only able to get as high as the nine-seed. They won a thrilling play-in game against the Heat, but lost their second one in blowout fashion to the Magic, ending their season.
The Hornets have a surplus of perimeter shooting and creation, but the one thing they don't have is a defensive anchor. Gobert would provide that to a tee. He has been one of the top high-floor players in the game, and he took the play-in Wolves to back-to-back conference finals trips and four straight playoff appearances. I could easily see him doing the same thing in Charlotte.
The Hornets don't necessarily have any realistic assets in this deal that the Wolves would want, but getting the Dallas Mavericks could make the deal work for everyone.
For the Hornets, sending out Bridges and Williams to Dallas in the deal, plus a pick that isn't even theirs for a player like Gobert, seems like great value.
The Dallas Mavericks are the perfect third team in this deal
The Wolves need a co-star for Edwards, and hopefully one that they can get at a discounted price.
Enter: Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks are headed into a rebuild, and Kyrie Irving is 34 years old, coming off an ACL injury. With the Mavericks projected to draft a guard in the lottery of this year's draft, there could be questions on whether they'd be willing to shop Kyrie, and Minnesota is the perfect spot.
What makes this trade enticing for the Mavericks is that the Hornets have their pick protected 3-30 in next year's draft. Trading that back to Dallas would allow the Mavericks to rebuild without the thought of losing their pick. Plus, they get an extra pick from Minnesota. That feels like solid value for Kyrie.
It's rare that a three-team trade clearly benefits everyone. However, here the Timberwolves get their second star next to Edwards, the Hornets can leap from a play-in team to a surefire playoff team, and the Mavericks can continue to build a young foundation around Cooper Flagg, while having control of their own destiny in the draft.
Add us as a preferred source on Google